Latest news with #Sámi
Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Kneecap show their soulful side as they trudge through the Arctic snow
Kneecap have undeniably been in hot water in the past several weeks. But before the firestorm, they spent several days in the Arctic Circle in the company of former Army ranger and survival expert Ray Goggins and their exploits are now documented in part two of Uncharted With Ray Goggins ( RTÉ One, Wednesday). Those tuning in expecting further fireworks will be disappointed. The trio of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh make for largely thoughtful company, though there are occasionally flashes of cheeky chap-dom. They get on well with Goggins – a literal sgt major type and stickler for military discipline, as they wend their way across Finland to the tri-border marker where Finland, Norway and Sweden intersect. But if the episode has a deeper message, it is perhaps to touch on the distance that can still exist between people from the two sides of the island. They don't seem impressed that Goggins is a decorated ranger. 'I hear he was in the Irish Army . . . they basically do f**k all,' quips one – a jarring line considering the many sacrifices made by the Irish Army cross the decades. On the other hand, they speak fluent Irish while Goggins does not, and their passion for the country's ancient oral traditions is evoked wonderfully when they meet an indigenous Finish Sámi singer and perform the sean-nós, Amhrán Na Scadán. READ MORE Kneecap's Naoise Ó Cairealláin in the Arctic. Photograph: RTÉ [ Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Leo Varadkar has to get halfway up a mountain with Lyra before he lets his guard down Opens in new window ] The actual adventure elements of the instalment are more disposable – there's lots of trudging through the snow and digging sheltering holes as the sun goes down. There's also a great deal of swearing, and the show could have been done without Goggins, the responsible adult in the scenario, dropping an f-bomb – who is he trying to impress? Carrying on from where he left off last week during his exploits with Leo Varadkar and Lyra , he gets straight to the point when Kneecap arrive on snowmobiles. 'Welcome to the Arctic, fellas . . . If you get your s**t wrong you're going to suffer. If you get your s**t badly wrong, you're in trouble.' Off they set on a three-day trek where indignities include trying to shuffle up a hill in sub-zero temperatures and using an outdoor toilet in the middle of a snowstorm. 'You don't want your arse to stick to the toilet seat. It was an experience,' protests JJ. Kneecap's antics on stage have created the impression that they're born rabble-rousers. However, anyone who has seen their quasi-autobiographical movie or actually attended one of their gigs can tell you that they have a thoughtful and soulful side too, and this comes through as they talk in Irish and speak about how, in their estimation, British rule in the North has been bad for both communities. But then they start banging on about wanting to retain the NHS – suggesting they have bought into the exceptionalist British myth that their public healthcare system is the best in the world. Haters will be underwhelmed by Kneecap's entry into survival-based fly-on-the-wall television. They come across as largely reflective, occasionally a bit gobby and annoying. But if this frosty serving of reality TV ultimately achieves anything, is it to show that a band widely caricatured as addicted to controversy have no objection to chilling out in the right circumstances.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Want climate solutions in Indigenous territories? Better get consent.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Four years ago, Harvard University moved a long-planned solar geoengineering project from Arizona to Sápmi, the homelands of Sámi peoples across what is now Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The Sámi had no idea it was coming. 'We did not know about the plans until we got alerted by the [Indigenous Environmental Network] and they were saying, 'You should be aware of this,'' said Sámi council member Åsa Larsson Blind. Blind said that it's unlikely Harvard deliberately ignored consulting the Sámi about the project before moving it to Kiruna, Sweden. More likely, she thinks, they weren't aware that they needed to. 'But at the same time, you don't need to do much research to know that Kiruna is in Sápmi, and that there is an Indigenous people,' Blind said. 'There is one Indigenous people in Europe, and that's the Sámi people, and we are not unknown.' The idea behind solar geoengineering is that it combats global warming by reflecting sun rays back into space with chemical particles sprayed into the atmosphere. Known as the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, or SCoPEx, the Harvard project would have experimented with the dispersal of those chemicals over Sámi lands. But this kind of climate manipulation goes against Sámi traditional beliefs about caring for nature, the Sámi council wrote in an open letter to Harvard that called for an end to the program. Critically, Harvard also failed to inform the Sámi people of the project or obtain their consent before starting it, the council pointed out, violating their right to free, prior, and informed consent — rights enshrined in international law. Representatives with Harvard's SCoPEx project did not return requests for comment. The Sámi are not alone in experiencing such violations and joining the ranks of Indigenous peoples relying on international law to challenge 'climate solutions' projects, like SCoPEx, in their territories. For the third year running, Indigenous leaders have called for a permanent moratorium on carbon markets, carbon offsets, and geoengineering technologies at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII. They also demanded an end to all carbon market initiatives within the U.N., like the REDD+, a $5 billion payment scheme that aims to protect forests through private investment in the carbon market. That call, led by the Indigenous Environmental Network, or IEN, and supported by the American Indian Law Alliance, an Indigenous nonprofit, is now bolstered by an IEN report that documents multiple cases where carbon market, carbon offset, and geoengineering projects have violated Indigenous peoples' rights, and Indigenous people have challenged them. As carbon markets expand into Indigenous homelands, advocates hope these fights for Indigenous rights, in Sápmi and beyond, offer a roadmap to stop a growing industry from exploiting Indigenous peoples. Depending on how a carbon offset project works to mitigate climate change in design and scale, it generates a certain number of carbon credits — the currency of the carbon market. This allows polluters to offset their emissions by purchasing these credits — governments, businesses, and organizations pay to sequester or remove carbon with things like geoengineering or forest restoration and conservation. Indigenous peoples' land is often targeted for these efforts, given that they manage or have tenure rights over about 40 percent of the world's ecologically intact terrestrial landscapes. Because these healthy ecosystems are prime locations for such work, Indigenous peoples living there can quickly become entangled with or impacted by a developing carbon market — often without their knowledge or consent. The IEN report details nine cases of 'lawsuits, formal complaints, and public advocacy' where Indigenous peoples, like the Sámi, have invoked the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, known as UNDRIP, to confront and resist initiatives that threaten their lands and well-being. 'I do believe it's positive that UNDRIP is being used,' Blind said. 'Everytime it is cited and it gets recognition, that builds legitimacy. And when we use it boldly and with confidence and we do that together, that builds legitimacy.' Passed in 2007 by the U.N., UNDRIP contains 46 articles that set the standard for the recognition, protection, and promotion of Indigenous peoples' rights. The IEN study reveals that more than a third of them have been violated by climate solutions projects. Repeated infringements include a lack of transparency from companies, states, and organizations about the scale of their work, intentionally sowing division within Indigenous communities, increased violence and surveillance of Indigenous peoples, and violations to free, prior, and informed consent. For some Indigenous communities, carbon markets present an opportunity to grow their economies and exercise their rights to self determination. And it's a lucrative industry: The voluntary carbon market saw $16.3 billion in funding by the end of 2024. Francesca Hillery, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribe in California, is partnerships director at the Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission, or IGGRC, a collective of Indigenous nations in the U.S. working to mitigate climate change through the carbon market. Hillery said carbon offset projects based in forest or ecosystem restoration often align with Indigenous values and benefit Indigenous communities. But the main benefit to tribes is the financial potential. Tribes in the U.S. need resources to run their governments, Hillery said, and carbon markets may present opportunities for economic growth. In 2015, California's first forest carbon offset project on Indigenous land was developed on the Round Valley tribe's land. 'I do understand that there's this whole critique against the commodification of nature,' Hillery said. 'I just think that tribes are looking for solutions for a bunch of different phenomena.' But for other Indigenous communities, the expansion of carbon markets raises concerns, especially as some projects have already resulted in Indigenous peoples being evicted from their lands or promised financial compensation that doesn't materialize. In Peru, for example, the Cordillera Azul National Park was created without the consent of the Kichwa people and other Indigenous communities whose territories it overlaps. Then, the Peruvian government and CIMA, the nonprofit set up to run the park, sold more than 28 million carbon credits for the project. According to IEN, the Peruvian government and CIMA refused to recognize Kichwa land claims while simultaneously profiting from carbon credit sales in the park. In an analysis of reports that detail carbon market impacts, the news outlet Carbon Brief found that more than 70 percent of the reports documented evidence of carbon offset projects harming Indigenous people as well as local communities. All of the court cases outlined in the IEN report are of Indigenous people using UNDRIP to fight against carbon markets. But Joanna Cabello, a senior researcher with SOMO, a Netherlands-based organization that investigates multinational corporations and their impacts on people and environments, said rulings in support of Indigenous land rights are still a boon to communities who might welcome carbon projects. The same logic that upholds Indigenous land rights also affords them the right to choose what they want to do with that land, including joining the carbon market. 'The recognition of [Indigenous] rights is always a strong starting point for any type of [carbon market] project, as that would mean that they have the right to say no to the proposal as well as to hold the companies or organizations behind a project accountable,' Cabello said. Cabello has studied carbon offset projects for over 20 years and said that while these markets infringing on Indigenous rights is 'not news,' more courts are ruling in favor of Indigenous communities, which isn't usually the case. In 2020, the Kichwa sued the Peruvian government, contesting its refusal to recognize Indigenous territorial rights, the creation of the conservation project on their territory without consent, and the systematic exclusion from making decisions about or receiving financial benefits from carbon credit sales. In 2023 and 2024, the court agreed with the Kichwa, becoming the first judicial rulings in Peru to recognize and uphold Indigenous territorial rights. 'Hopefully, the more and more that communities are able to reach these verdicts, the more that also governments — even if it's not at the national level, but municipal level or regional level — can start checking who is really benefiting from doing these projects in their territories,' Cabello said. 'Hopefully some will side more with Indigenous peoples' rights.' Though it's just one tool, Cabello said using UNDRIP like this shows Indigenous communities that denouncing abuse can be met with meaningful recognition — and tells industries that people are watching their work. Similarly, the letter that the Sámi council issued to Harvard demanding an end to SCoPEx clarified the risks and violations associated with such a project. Not only is it required to obtain consent for activities on their lands, Indigenous people have the right, the Sámi council reminded the university, to maintain and strengthen their spiritual relationship to their traditional lands, uphold their responsibilities to future generations, and make decisions about the territories and resources under their stewardship, including air. After continued opposition, Harvard's solar geoengineering project was terminated in March 2024. 'That's something, because we don't have many other examples of a huge institution like Harvard backing down after critique from Indigenous peoples,' Blind said, noting that this issue was successfully addressed outside the court of law. 'It is significant to see that it is actually an option to halt something when you realize that it wasn't done right.' This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Want climate solutions in Indigenous territories? Better get consent. on May 7, 2025.
Euronews
03-05-2025
- Euronews
‘You realise there's nothing you can't do': Why solo travel is the ultimate act of self-care
ADVERTISEMENT Ioana had never travelled alone before the age of 31 because she was too afraid of what people would think. But a solo trip to Paris for her 31st birthday was transformative. 'The important people in my life were all very supportive, and the Parisians couldn't care less that I was eating in restaurants alone or walking along the Seine by myself,' she says. 'This experience helped reduce my anxiety and taught me that I should not let other people's opinions interfere with how I live my life.' While solo travel is often perceived as daunting, it can be an unexpectedly powerful form of stress relief, according to Dr Ravi Gill, a chartered psychologist with over 15 years in mental healthcare. Related 'The paperwork is a nightmare': The romance and red tape of dating as a digital nomad 'People are not props': The Sámi reindeer herders fighting stereotypes to build ethical tourism 'Solo travel offers profound psychological benefits, helping individuals overcome anxiety, build self-trust, and experience true autonomy,' he says. 'You realise there's nothing you can't do' Data analysis by Emerald Cruises predicts that solo travel is set to skyrocket, with Google Trends data showing a staggering 5,000 per cent increase in searches for 'best places to travel solo' and 'solo travel tours' in March alone. The cruise company, whose itineraries include trips dedicated to single passengers, surveyed 500 Brits about their experiences of travelling alone. Nearly half of the respondents said that solo trips boosted their confidence and decision-making skills - something Romanian-born Ioana also emphasises on her solo travel blog . 'I think solo travel is very empowering because you need to do everything yourself,' she says. 'Once you navigate a new city, problem solve how to deal with flight delays, or order food in a foreign language successfully, you realise there is nothing you can't do.' Maddie Quammen is a travelling content creator from the US. Maddie Quammen Maddie Quammen is a travelling content creator from the US. She describes solo travel as 'like a mirror and a reset button all at once'. 'It pulls you out of your comfort zone, and in doing so, helps you get really clear on who you are and what you actually want,' she says. 'I think we're living in a time where comfort is the default, and too much of it can lead to anxiety, numbness, and disconnection. When you're solo on the road, you're constantly being tested. But in those moments, you realise just how strong, adaptable, and resourceful you really are.' 'Solo trips showed me I can change my reality' For many travellers, embarking on a solo trip becomes a journey of self-discovery, or as Gill puts it, 'replacing a fixed mindset with a growth mindset.' ADVERTISEMENT In the survey by Emerald Cruises, 32 per cent of respondents said they see travelling alone as a way to learn more about themselves. For Ioana, solo travel was a wake-up call about her work-life balance. 'I used to work in corporate, and I was miserable because my job was not fulfilling, and I didn't have the time freedom I was craving,' she says. 'After I took a few solo trips , I became more confident and I realised that I am in control of my own life and I can change my reality.' ADVERTISEMENT Ioana in Barcelona. Ioana (thesolotravelinstyleblog) Ioana began writing a solo travel blog and left the corporate world last year to dedicate her time to travelling and sharing her experiences. 'Solo travel is not just about seeing the world; it's about discovering who you are when no one else is shaping your choices," says Gill. 'Healing often sneaks up on you in motion' Maddie's experience has also been an odyssey of self-growth. She and her ex broke up during a trip abroad, and she found herself ' completely alone on the other side of the world'. 'I felt like I lost my favourite person, and had no idea who I was without them. But solo travel didn't let me stay stuck. I had to keep going. I had to rely on myself - and strangers,' she says. ADVERTISEMENT 'There are kind, beautiful humans everywhere, and if you stay open, you'll find them. That was one of the most healing parts for me - learning I wasn't as alone as I thought.' Related 'We were tired of living within four walls': Why I left the city to run a mountain hotel in Italy 'You learn to live with much less': Why this family decided to set sail and see the world Maddie has continued to travel full-time and uses her Instagram account to share frank realities about getting over a break-up while on the road alone. 'I was once crying in a bunk bed over my ex, thinking I made the biggest mistake of my life. Two days later, I was riding through rice fields in Vietnam , full of peace and joy,' she says. 'That contrast reminded me that pain isn't permanent, and healing often sneaks up on you in motion.' ADVERTISEMENT For Maddie, solo travel hasn't just shown her she can handle whatever is thrown at her, but that she can thrive. 'It's hard to spiral when you're watching the sunrise over a mountain you just climbed,' she says.
Time Out
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This bizarre water-spitting sculpture on the High Line lets you soak unsuspecting passersby
There's a sculpture on the High Line right now that's causing some folks to question the content of their Instagram feeds. Mika Rottenberg's 'Foot Fountain (pink)' sits in all its weird glory at the 30th Street entrance, sputtering out water from its rather phallic top. 'Foot Fountain (pink)' is a giant pink foot and lower leg that stands 10 feet tall and is peppered with tongues that stick out of lipsticked mouths. Its toenails are splashed with red nail polish, too. But the real kicker is the sculpture's function: the working sprinkler on top can be activated by moving a set of pedals nearby, surprising or delighting passersby. It's just one of those sculptures that begs for a double take… According to an official press release, the structure is an 'irreverent take on the tradition of classical fountains that are commonly plopped into the middle of a square or in gardens, their water forever self-contained.' What's more, the thing is 'nurturing the place and people by where it sits with water.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The High Line (@highlinenyc) Commenters let their fascination be known on the High Line's Instagram post about the sculpture. "This post is extremely hilarious when you have it scrolled up only half in the beginning. 😂," reads a comment. "Who's gonna tell them?," someone else noted. "I ran to the comments," a third user wrote, echoing all of our thoughts. New York artist Rottenberg is known for this type of in-your-face work: throughout the years, she has placed her art pieces where production and commerce are perhaps the most visual, such as a pearl factory in China and a Calexico border town. Her sculpture is one of four artworks across the elevated park that you can see now, including 'Urmodern,' a work inspired by Sámi mythology from Britta Marakatt-Labba; 'The Sun Is A Flame That Haunts the Night,' towering candlestick-inspired sculptures by Tai Shani; and 'Animism' by Zhang Xu Zhan, a video of three stop-motion films screened nightly.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Try this Norwegian Arctic lodge for an intro to pack-rafting
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). At 70 degrees north, where Norway's coast frays into fjords, islands and skerries, Alta is a true blast of the Arctic. A two-hour flight from Oslo, one of the world's most northerly towns takes 'wild' to a new level. Here, the Northern Lights rave above snowy fells all winter long, while the midnight sun burns in summer. Porpoises, dolphins and whales splash in frigid waters and the indigenous Sámi people herd reindeer on the stark tundra. And whether you're fishing the fjord for enormous king crab, listening to the crackle of a campfire or peering up at stars blinking in night skies, this is nature with the volume turned up to max. History runs long and deep, too. At the Alta Museum, there are late-Stone Age petroglyphs etched into the cliffs. Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, some of these abstract carvings and paintings date back 7,000 years, with extraordinary depictions of hunters, fishermen, reindeer and elk. In a country that prizes friluftsliv — the Norwegian concept of embracing nature and the elements no matter how wicked the weather — pack-rafting is the ultimate thrill. Hikers carry lightweight, inflatable boats folded into backpacks, which allows for spontaneous exploration of the waterways they discover en route. With a dry suit, life jacket and helmet, in Alta even novice pack-rafters can temporarily give civilisation the slip and take a deep dive into the Arctic wilderness on a beginner's adventure. Sorrisniva's full-day experience provides more of a challenge. After river-boating to the Alta Canyon, lunch is served on the banks where, with any luck, travellers might be able to spot wildlife including moose, eagles and otters. Then it's back on the water, pack-rafting through bouncy rapids. During calmer stretches, admire forests towering above rocky shores, flawless blue skies and perhaps a first dusting of snow on high fells. Under the golden glow of the midnight sun, from June to September, when temperatures peak at around 15C (59F), Sorrisniva's Arctic Wilderness Lodge arranges introductory pack-rafting trips along the salmon-rich Alta River. These take three hours and 30 minutes and are gentle enough for absolute beginners. Instead of hiking with the rafts on your back, Sorrisniva offers car transport to an upstream start point. Travellers then hop into the river's flint-blue flow, the beauty of the landscape unravelling as you glide downstream. Paddling past pebble beaches and banks bristling with pine, birch and aspen forest, travellers can listen out for a shrill whistle to perhaps catch a glimpse of an eagle wheeling overhead. Sorrisniva's igloo hotel often steals the limelight, but when the snow melts in summer, its 24-room Arctic Wilderness Lodge is equally enticing. It combines crisp Scandi architecture with luxe fabrics and mood-lifting views of the Alta River — the brilliant blues and greens of its forest-cloaked banks framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. Generously sized river rooms and suites are an ode to the outdoors, with pine interiors, a palette of white, ochre and deep blue, and balcony views of the landscape. Alongside pack-rafting and river-boating, the hotel's other summer activities include king-crab fishing, husky-drawn carting, hiking and horse-riding — but many travellers just come for the fresh Arctic air, away-from-it-all silence and good food. The hotel has two restaurants — fine-dining Maku and Sámi tent-inspired Lavvu — which serve season-led ingredients with finesse. Menus whisper of the wilderness, championing locally farmed, fished and foraged produce in dishes such as sugar-cured roast Alta salmon, moose with beetroot and mushrooms, and cloudberries with brown-butter ice cream.
